It never fails to amaze me that when we crawl into bed after a long exhausting day and finally close our eyes, our brain and subconscious takes over to create a unique story inside our minds. How, and why it happens, is something that scientists have spent hours upon hours and huge amounts of money into researching, yet there are still disputes between them as to why it happens. After doing some research myself, here are a few things I have discovered about the processes that go on in our complex minds while we rest.
Basic facts about dreams:
Scientists say we dream about four to six times per night
An average dream lasts from 5 to up to 20 minutes
Up to 95% of our dreams are forgotten when we wake up
Dreaming helps you store memories in your long term memory
Many dreams relate to recent, real life experiences
You can learn to control your dreams!
Types of dreams:
Why do we have nightmares, you may ask? Well, people who frequently encounter nightmares or recurring dreams may begin to realise that they may be facing an internal kind of trauma, and may need to seek external help. These nightmares or recurring dreams are a way for your subconscious to send your body messages, and help you realise that what you may be going through needs more attention.
Finally, why do we dream and why is it important? There is no definite answer to this question. However, there are many different ways that people interpret dreams, ranging from spiritually to scientifically. How I interpret my dreams can be very different to how you interpret yours, which is normal. I believe that dreaming is important, because we are on our own separate life paths, and along the way, we all encounter our own unique experiences. These experiences shape who we are, and how we act. What use would these experiences be if we couldn’t remember them? When we sleep, our brain recalls these memories, and puts these pieces and elements of our past into a story which moves into a more permanent bank in your long-term memory. These are our dreams. Our dreams capture these moments, and ensure that we never lose ahold of who we are as humans.
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